Moonlight and Satrshine
by Hitomi Kalagari
Summary: Katara is in Zuko's arms, not Aang's. Aang broods at the edge of the campsite, extremely depressed when Toph comes to his side to comfort him and say some surprising things.


A/N: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender and I probably never will.

Moonlight and Starshine

Laughter filled the Avatar and friend's campsite. It filled every space in it except in a certain heartbroken Avatar Aang. His heart filled with sorrow as his eyes saw his beloved, beautiful, and talented waterbender in the arms of her opposite element. Katara wasn't really his, but Aang's heart had always thought of her as just that, his. With her in Zuko's arms it seemed that all his heart's love for her had been for naught. But as he drowned himself in self pity he didn't notice the other person who's heart pained.

Toph directed her unseeing eyes to were she knew Twinkle-Toes was moping. She understood his pain at seeing Katara with Zuko and not him, but she wished that he would see that she wasn't the only girl in the world. She sighed and walked over to him.

Aang looked up to see Toph plop herself down at the ground next to him.

"So, Twinkle-Toes, what's up?" Aang looked at Toph with a look of surprise, that she couldn't see, that she didn't know. He gestured toward Katara and Zuko who were busy trying to see how far they could push Sokka,.

"Zuko and Katara." He said sadly. Toph nodded knowingly.

"So, you're sad that Katara fell for Princy and not you Twinkle-Toes, right?"

"Yes." A sob threatened to overcome Aang. Toph looked down at her knees, wondering how to comfort him.

"Aang?" Aang looked up in surprise that she had actually called him Aang and not Twinkle-Toes.

"Yeah?" Toph looked down again, with a slight blush on her pale cheeks.

"Have you ever thought that there might be other girls than Katara?" Toph's normally strong voice was soft and timid. Aang looked at her surprised at her question and her tone.

"Who else is there who wouldn't treat me like a total celebrity?" Toph raised her head and gazed directly into Aang's gray eyes, her blind gray ones seeming to look into his.

"Well, there's me." She suggested in an even smaller voice.

"You?

"Have I ever treated you like a celebrity?"

"No. D'you you mean...I mean are you suggesting...yourself?" Toph bit her lip and nodded shyly.

"Yes."

"Does that mean that you like me?" Toph blushed and nodded. Then her eyes took an sad look.

"But, I don't know why I bother seeing as all you seem to do is moon over Katara." A sob crept into Toph's voice that she desperately tried to hide from Aang. But he heard it anyway.

"I don't moon over Katara all the time." Aang tried to cheer up Toph but it didn't work. Tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to spill over.

"Well, enough for it to seem like all the time." All of a sudden Toph was crying, not quite a full fledged torrent, but steady salt stained rivers down her face.

" You're always trying to impress her with everything you do, you always protect her as if she was helpless. You never seemed to ever care that much about me." Aang bit his lip and looked around for help that didn't come.

"Toph, look, please stop crying. I never thought that you'd want me to help you. I always thought that you'd wack me or something." Aang's futile attempt to cheer Toph up only seemed to make her cry harder. By now Katara, Zuko, and Sokka had realized that something was up. Katara got up and sat beside Toph, putting a comforting arm around her.

"Toph, what's the matter?" But Toph didn't particularly want to talk to Katara so she shoved her arm off and ran into the woods. Aang looked stricken at the fact that he had been the one who had made Toph cry in the first place. Sokka looked confused and Katara shared his confusion but also concern was written on her face. Zuko's scarred features showed only surprise that Toph had tear glands. She has always seemed too tough to have them.

"Aang, what happened?"

"She likes me and I never noticed. And now I've hurt her." Aang's voice was shocked and sad. Katara nodded she had come to suspect that Aang's little blind earthbending teacher had grown to like him. She just hadn't known that she had liked him this much.

"Do you like her?" She asked calmly.

"I don't know. I think I might, but I've always liked you so much that I never really noticed if I liked her." Katara put her arm around the distraught Avatar.

"Aang, you've got to go find her."

"I know." Repled a miserable Aang. He rose and headed off into the trees after Toph.

Toph stumbled along through the woods, not caring how lost she was getting herself. Finally she dropped to her knees at the edge of a moonlit pool. The slight breeze made her shiver and clutch her robes closer to her body. It rustled through the leaves like a lullaby to the world. She could hear the sounds of the world going to sleep and it calmed her sorrowful heart for a moment. Until she heard Aangs voice enter the clearing, floating on the wind. He was far away, so Toph tried to force him out of her mind. _Let him look._ Thought Toph, so she didn't call out. Unfortunately she couldn't keep Twinkle-Toes out of her head even once his voice had faded away. Unbidden to her thoughts came a quote that she had heard somewhere." _If you can't get someone out of your head, they are probably supposed to be there." _She pummeled her head with her hands.

"No," She whispered, "Twinkle-Toes isn't supposed to be in here. Get out, get out! Out!" But Aang wouldn't be budged from Toph's mind no matter how hard she tried to force him out. She couldn't get his goofy, kind smiling face to stop appearing in her head when she closed her eyes. Toph finally gave into the sorrow she had been forcing back along with her thoughts of Aang and let her tears roll down her face and onto her knees.

Aang entered the clearing as Toph bent her head to her knees to cry. He rushed over to her and held her stiff, sobbing body close to him. This time he didn't try to fumble words together to cheer her up. After a few minutes she gained control over herself again and pulled away from Aang.

"What do you want Twinkle-Toes?" Toph's voice was a little harsher than she had ment it to be and Aang looked crestfallen at her tone.

"I came to try and see if I could possibly make you feel better and to tell you something. But, it sounds like you don't really want me here, so I'll go." He moved to rise form her side but Toph pulled him down; regretting her harsh words.

"I'm sorry Aang, I didn't mean that I wanted you to leave. What did you want to tell me?" Aang looked down at his knees, unsure how to go on. He took a deep breath and spoke.

"I...wanted to tell you that I do care for you. No matter what you might think, I do care for you. And...I think that I might like you." Toph opened her mouth to say something but Aang stopped her by placing his finger on her mouth.

"And you were right, practically everything I did was to impress Katara. So that never gave me a chance to realize that I did have some feelings for you. I don't know exactly what they are yet but, if you give me a chance than I'll probably be able to tell you. If that makes you feel any better." Aang bit his lip, prepared for Toph to start yelling at him. But she didn't, she smiled at him, even though there were still tears rolling down her face.

"Thanks, Aang. That did help and I think I might be able to help you with that choice." Aang smiled back at her and she brought her face closer to him. Her lips paused for a moment in front of his, as if she were asking a question. Aang pressed his lips against hers, answering her silent question. Toph wrapped her arms around his neck and he put his arms around her, holding her as they kissed. When they parted the moonlight and starshine shone between them illuminating the clearing with silvery light.

"Did that help?" Asked Toph shyly, her blush didn't seem strange to Aang this time in the silvery light. Just beautiful.

"Yes." And he bent down to kiss his beloved, beautiful, and talented earthbender again.

A/N: Did you like it? I realized that I hadn't ever written a Tong fic, so I did. I hope you liked it! R'n'R!! (Please!) -Hitomi Kalagari


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